Spain’s government has revealed that the substantial power outage in April, which affected Spain and Portugal and left millions without electricity, was the result of technical and planning mistakes that rendered the grid incapable of managing a sudden voltage surge. Ecological Transition Minister Sara Aagesen confirmed that the incident, which began on April 28 shortly after noon, was not a consequence of cyberattacks.
Aagesen explained that small grid failures primarily in southern Spain escalated into larger issues, leading to the blackout that resulted in a loss of 15 gigawatts of electricity—approximately 60% of Spain’s supply. Portugal’s interconnected grid also suffered the consequences, while only the island territories were unaffected. The power loss occurred rapidly, within just 12 seconds, with the most significant part happening in a mere five seconds.
The report highlighted several contributory factors, including inadequate planning by Spain’s grid operator, Red Eléctrica, which failed to replace a key power plant that could have helped stabilize the grid during the voltage surge. Additionally, some power plants that were shut down as a precaution could have remained operational to assist in managing the situation.
Following the outage, full power restoration was achieved by early the next morning. The government’s comprehensive report, based on assessments from national security agencies, affirmed that there were no signs of cyber-sabotage involved in the failure.
The incident sparked discussions about the reasons behind the outage, particularly speculation regarding Spain’s significant reliance on renewable energy and the gradual phase-out of nuclear energy. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez firmly defended the country’s energy transition stance, emphasizing that Spain aims to generate 81% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. He urged the public to trust in the transition process amid concerns about the grid’s resilience as reliance on renewables increases.
This situation serves as a reminder of the importance of robust grid management and planning, especially as countries strive to enhance their renewable energy capacities. The incident could prompt necessary adjustments in energy policies that focus on ensuring stability while transitioning to greener alternatives.